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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048307">your eyes look like coming home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarissawrites/pseuds/clarissawrites'>clarissawrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wynonna Earp (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:01:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24048307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarissawrites/pseuds/clarissawrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a short fluff fic about Wynonna getting to meet her daughter for the first (well, technically second) time. Takes place 4-ish years after the end of season 2</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>your eyes look like coming home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Alice has just gone to bed when the phone rings, and Gus almost doesn’t answer. It’s an unknown number, but most are these days. It’s not safe to have extended contact with anyone, and in the last several years, she’s kept her distance from almost everyone unless absolutely necessary. One can never be too safe. But that’s not why she hesitates.</p><p class="p1">No, she almost doesn’t answer because she’s sitting down for what feels like the first time today—Alice is Wynonna’s daughter after all—and she’d really like to rest some herself instead of dealing with another telemarketer or political advocate or PTA mom from Alice’s pre-school.</p><p class="p1">Something makes her answer the call anyway. Hope, perhaps, though later she’ll say it was intuition.</p><p class="p1">“Gus?” comes the voice from the other end, a bit breathless and static-y, but unmistakable.</p><p class="p1">“Wy…” Gus starts, but cuts off in case this is a trick of some sort. “How did you get this number?”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna lets out a little laugh, a puff of air almost lost to the line. “It’s over, Gus. I did…<em>we</em> did it. It’s over. We’re safe.”</p><p class="p1">“Gone?” Gus asks. Her hands have started to shake, and she feels a bit silly about it. She grips the phone tighter, and presses it to her ear as if that will make the news truer.</p><p class="p1">“Yeah. Every last stinkin’ revenant gone, Bulshar defeated, the demons and weird shit eliminated. At least, as far as we can tell. There might be other stuff out there, but nothing that’s coming for just us, nothing we can’t deal with. The curse and all the shit that comes with it is over. For good.”</p><p class="p1">“Oh.” Gus is having trouble processing, and she’s really glad she’s sitting down. “So now what?”</p><p class="p1">“Now?” Wynonna’s voice trembles, and Gus can hear the hope and fear laced into every syllable. “Now, I’d like to come meet my daughter.”</p><p class="p1">“She’s safe?” Gus asks, hating that she has to. But Alice’s safety is top priority, and they both know it.</p><p class="p1">“As safe as she’s going to be.” Wynonna clears her throat. “I don’t have to bring her home yet, Gus. I just want to meet her. I need to see…. I need to see her again.”</p><p class="p1">Nodding her head though Wynonna can’t see her, Gus agrees. She gives Wynonna the address and Wynonna promises to be there the next day, no matter what it takes.</p><p class="p1">Any misgivings Gus might have had about Wynonna’s ability to do right by Alice disappear the moment she opens the front door at 11:32 the next morning and sees the look on her niece’s face. Wynonna stands there trembling, clinging to Waverly’s hand as though it’s the only thing holding her up. Her blue eyes glisten, and Waverly has to greet Gus for both of them.</p><p class="p1">Gus leads them inside. Alice is playing in the living room with her back to them. Her hair is already mussed from the morning’s adventures, though Gus tried to straighten her up, but she still looks like a little doll in her sundress. She’s small for her age, with delicate features, her mother’s dark hair and bright eyes.</p><p class="p1">As soon as she sees her daughter, Wynonna stumbles and lets out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a laugh and a sob. Waverly holds her sister’s arm tightly, and Gus moves to Wynonna’s other side, intending to help her into a chair.</p><p class="p1">Alice hears the commotion and glances up, her hands stilling as she observes their guests with wide eyes, cheeks painted with long lashes.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna pulls away from Gus and Waverly as if in a trance, sinking to her knees at the edge of the room.</p><p class="p1">“Hi, Alice,” she whispers.</p><p class="p1">Alice glances at Gus, then back at Wynonna. “Hello,” she lisps, uncharacteristically shy, as if somehow recognizing the gravity of the moment.</p><p class="p1">“Alice, honey,” says Gus, sitting on the couch to be nearer the little girl. “Do you know who this is?”</p><p class="p1">Alice tilts her head a little and considers Wynonna, whose lips are trembling as she tries to smile. Alice’s brow furrows a tiny bit. “She looks like Mama, Gus.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna inhales sharply, pressing her lips together.</p><p class="p1">“That’s right,” Gus says, reaching out to stroke a hand over Alice’s dark curls, smoothing them down a bit. “This is your mama.”</p><p class="p1">“How does she…?” Wynonna starts to ask, but the words catch in her throat. She clenches and unclenches her hands on her legs.</p><p class="p1">Gus clears her throat. “I know it wasn’t the safest thing to do, but I showed her your pictures every day.” She smiles up at Waverly, who returns the expression encouragingly. “She has a copy by her bed to look at every time she goes to sleep. I wanted her to know you if, <em>when</em>, this day came. I wanted her to know she was loved.”</p><p class="p1">“Oh,” Wynonna breathes, barely more than an exhale. Gus can see tears glistening in her eyes.</p><p class="p1">“You’re amazing, Gus,” says Waverly, causing Alice to look up at her.</p><p class="p1">“Auntie Wav’r’y?” she asks Gus, stumbling adorably over the name. Gus nods as Waverly smiles broadly at her niece, sitting next to Gus on the couch.</p><p class="p1">“Hi, sweetie.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna’s voice cracks when she speaks again, not taking her eyes off her daughter. “Gus, thank you.” Tears spill over onto her cheeks, but she doesn’t brush them away.</p><p class="p1">Alice stands and takes a few steps until she’s right in front of Wynonna. She reaches a small hand for Wynonna’s face, touching the tears.</p><p class="p1">“You’re sad?” she asks.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna lets out another laughing sob, gently shaking her head. “Not sad, babydoll: happy. I’m so, so happy to see you.”</p><p class="p1">More tears spill over, and Alice reaches her other hand up, framing Wynonna’s face in her little hands.</p><p class="p1">“Happy tears?” she asks, a tiny furrow in her brow. The concept is not really familiar to her.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna can only nod. Her hands start to move forward, but she jerks them back as if she’s afraid to touch the child and scare her away.</p><p class="p1">Alice lets go of her mother’s face and reaches for the shaking hands anyway. “Come play!” she says, all shyness gone in a flash.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna moves in a trance, allowing Alice to lead her to the toys. Alice hands her stuffed animals and plastic vegetables and cars and Lego people, intent on showing her mama everything. Wynonna can only stare at her, blindly taking everything Alice offers as she settles down cross-legged on the floor.</p><p class="p1">“Wynonna, shouldn’t we…” Waverly starts, but Gus shushes her as Alice gets to the books.</p><p class="p1">Alice knows what she wants. She pulls several books off the shelf and hands them to Wynonna, forcing her to set aside a few of the other toys. Pulling close a stuffed bunny, Alice turns and plops into Wynonna’s lap.</p><p class="p1">“This one first,” she says, but Gus isn’t entirely sure Wynonna hears her. She’s staring down at her daughter and appears to have stopped breathing entirely. Dropping a stuffed dog, she brings her arm around to pull Alice closer, head dipping to inhale the scent of her child for the first time in nearly four years.</p><p class="p1">“Mama, read,” demands Alice, twisting to look up at Wynonna in frustration. Wynonna laughs a little, setting aside the other books and opening the one Alice wants to hear. She presses a quick kiss to the top of Alice’s head and begins to read the story. Alice leans back into her chest, and Wynonna cuddles her close.</p><p class="p1">When the book is done, Alice reaches for another, but Waverly interrupts.</p><p class="p1">“Hey, Wy, don’t forget about who’s waiting in the car.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna is already opening the second storybook. She waves a hand at her sister. “Text her. They can come in on their own.”</p><p class="p1">“Who?” asks Gus.</p><p class="p1">“Doc and Nicole came along, but we didn’t want to overwhelm Alice,” Waverly explains as she types out a message on her phone, then gets up to let the others in.</p><p class="p1">Much like Wynonna, Doc freezes in the entrance to the living room as soon as he spots Alice. Nicole grins around his shoulder. Alice is entranced in the story, but Wynonna glances up between pages, catching Doc’s eye with a smile.</p><p class="p1">When the book is done, Alice reaches for a third, but Wynonna stops her. “Babydoll, there’s someone I want you to meet.”</p><p class="p1">Doc removes his hat and steps into the living room, pressing it to his chest as Wynonna stands Alice on her feet. He bows slightly.</p><p class="p1">“Hello there, little darlin’,” he drawls. “I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance again.”</p><p class="p1">Alice stares up at him with clear blue eyes, but turns back to Wynonna to ask: “Papa?”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna nods. Alice turns toward Doc again. She sees Nicole and her attention shifts.</p><p class="p1">“Who’s that?”</p><p class="p1">“This is your Aunt Nicole,” Waverly says proudly, tucking an arm around her wife.</p><p class="p1">“Aunt?” asks Gus.</p><p class="p1">“We made it official about a year and a half ago,” Waverly grins, then shoots Gus and apologetic look. “We’re sorry you couldn’t be there.”</p><p class="p1">“Yeah,” says Wynonna, “With all the shi…<em>crap</em> going down in Purgatory, they decided they just couldn’t wait.”</p><p class="p1">Gus smiles and offers congratulations. Alice is uninterested and sits back in Wynonna’s lap, finally handing her the third book. “Read now, Mama?”</p><p class="p1">“Uh…” Wynonna looks up, managing to catch Doc’s eye, though he’s just about as entranced by the little girl as she is. She waves him over, and he comes to sit next to them on the floor. “Why doesn’t your Papa read this one?”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna hands him the book, but Alice settles back into her mama’s lap, content to listen to the story from there.</p><p class="p1">As Doc’s smooth drawl relays the words of the storybook, Gus watches Wynonna cuddle Alice. The little girl has always been affectionate, and Gus realizes for one of the first times that she gets it from her mother.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna feels more deeply and fiercely than the rest of them, but she had spent so many years trying to protect herself by pushing others away and tamping down the feelings and empathy she was so inclined toward. With the curse over and her daughter in her arms, Gus has a feeling that Wynonna might just become the most tender and caring of them all—in her own way.</p><p class="p1">Wynonna puts both arms around her daughter and rocks her back and forth gently. She rests her cheek on the top of Alice’s head and closes her eyes, truly content for the first time in years, possibly since her own childhood.</p><p class="p1">When the story is over, Gus expects Alice to run toward the shelf for more books. Instead, she turns to her caretaker and says with a determined air: “I’m hungry, Gus.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna laughs, squeezing Alice tight. “A girl after my own heart. Let’s get you something to eat, babydoll.” She sets Alice on her feet and stands, taking her daughters’ hand. “Ooh, how about donuts. Can we get donuts around here? You like donuts, right?”</p><p class="p1">Alice is nodding, pure excitement on her face. Gus frowns at Wynonna.</p><p class="p1">“It’s nearly lunchtime. She needs something substantial.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna pouts. “Aww, come on, Gus, let me spoil her just this once.”</p><p class="p1">Gus shrugs and stands with a sigh. “I guess it’s not my place to ‘let’ you do anything anymore. You’re her mother. But you get to deal with the sugar high and the crash that follows.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna waves an absent hand. “Yeah, we’ll get her something with protein and veggies or whatever too.”</p><p class="p1">Alice is already bouncing up and down. “Donuts! Donuts!”</p><p class="p1">Gus raises an eyebrow. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</p><p class="p1">Wynonna ignores her, though, swinging the over-excited Alice high into the air before settling her in her arms, spinning around and giggling along with the little girl.</p><p class="p1">Gus can’t help but smile too. A sugar high is absolutely worth seeing Wynonna this happy, this carefree. (It is totally going to be Wynonna’s problem though.)</p>
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